Mail-box support and signal.



F. A, DECKER.

MAIL BOX SUPPORT AND SIGNAL? APPLICATION FILED IULYJO, 1 915.

Patented Sept.112, 1316.

FRED A. DECKER, OF CLEAR LAKE, SOUTH DAKOTA.

MAIL-BOX SUPPORT AND SIGNAL.

Application filed July 10, 1915.

To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, FRED A. DEOKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Clear Lake, in the county of Deuel and State of, $outhDakota, have invented certain new and-useful Improvements in Mail- BoxSupports and Signals, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to mail box attachments, and particularly toattachments for supporting rural free delivery mail boxes and'a signalmounted thereon and connected thereto to indicate whether the box isfull'or empty.

' The primary object of my invention is the provisionof. abracket soconstructed that it willsupport almost any make of rural free deliverymail box now on the market, and further. provided with means forsupporting a mail sack. v

A further; object. of my invention is the provision, in connection withthe bracket, of a signal carrying cap adaptedto be supported upon thepipe or standard to which the bracket is attached and having actuatingmeans supported uponthe bracket.

A further objectof the invention is to provide a mail box support whichmay be vertically adjustable as desired,,so that the bracket and mailboxmay be raised or-lowered; according to the circumstances of anyparticular. case, without, however, disengaging the-signaling devicefrom the operating mechanism carried by the bracket.

A further object is to so construct the signal and operatingmechanismtherefor that the signal may be made of a large and due rablecharacter, so mounted that it cannot readily get. out of order or bebroken off, and easily operatedby the carrier. or person depositing themail.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My inventlon is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my mail boxsupport in operativeposition, the mail box and the signal cap being broken away; Fig. 2 isan elevation partly in section ofv the supporting bracket, the mail box,the standard, and the signal; Fig. 3 is an under side plan view of thebracket detached from the standard; Fig. 4 is a plan view of theoperating rod and the cap 12,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

Serial No. 39,117.

showing the manner in which the operating rodshifts the cap.

Referring to these drawings, 2 designates the bracket proper. Thebracket is preferably aniron casting with holes 3 provided for, theattachment of a mail box 4 thereto. This bracket is preferably formedwith a medially disposed depending rib, the holes 3 being disposed instaggered relation on each side of this rib. At one end the bracket isthickened and formed with a, vertically extending opening havingapproximately the size of'the pipe 5 which formsa support. for thebracket or standard. The thickened end of the bracket therefore acts asa collar 2, giving a rigid support to the bracket upon the pipe orstandard. The bracket may be raised or lowered upon the standard andheld in its adjusted position by means of a set screw. 6 or othersuitable means.

Attached-to the bracket adjacent the base thereof, that is, adjacent.the collar, is a transversely extending bar 7 formed with outwardlyextending hooks 8 at its extremities, this bar being attached to thecollar by means of a screw 9. This sack supporting bar. 7. is preferablyabout 12 inches long, and it may be attached to'the bracket 2 in anysuitable manner whichwill giveit sufficient rigidity to support upon itthe mail sack 10. This mail sack may be of any desired'character, but isshown. as provided with, reinforced openings through which thehooks 8pass. The mail sack is preferably of water.- proof, material andpreferably has a flap closing the opening at the upper end, of the sackso as to prevent the entrance of rain or. snow.

The signal flag 11 is preferably made of heavy galvanizediron, and itmay be about 6 inches in length by 4 inches in width. Attached to thesignal fiag is a hollow shank or. cap 12 about 14 inches long which fitsover the upper end of the standard 5 and is rotatable thereon. One sideof this shank or cap is formed with a projecting arm 13 with a slot orhole near its outer end. Mounted in guides 14: attached to the underface of the bracket 2 is a rod 15, the outer end of which projectsbeyond the bracket and preferably beyond the outer end of the mail boxand is bent so as to form a convenient handle. The guides 14 areattached to the bracket with the same bolts that attach the mail box tothe bracket.

bracket 2 within a convenient range.

The rod 15 extends to the rear end of the bracket and is then deflectedto pass around the collar 5 and the set screw if it is on this side ofthe bracket, and is then operatively connected to a section 16 which isconnected to the arm 13. Thus the signal may be operated by slightlypulling on or pushing this rod, which will cause the cap 12 to rotateand cause a rotation of the signal into a position either transverse tothe bracket or in line therewith.

The advantages of my invention are as follows: The bracket, and ofcourse the mail box with it, are vertically adjustable upon the standardand thus the mail box can be readily moved up or down or turned aroundthe iron post or standard 5. In most rural communities snow piles upunder the mail boxes in the winter and this snow often makes it unhandy,if not impossible, to get at the box. By my construction the mail boxcan be raised as occasion requires, or lowered to suit the convenienceof the carrier or of the patrons or to suit the exigencies of anyparticular situation. Also the mail box may be very readily adjustedinto any desired position with relation to the rod so as to permit thecarrier to readily obtain access to the mail box.

The purpose of the sack 10 is of course obvious. Under present parcelpost laws many packages are sent through the mail which are too largefor the rural mail boxes. .Vith this sack hanging attachment a sack maybe supported beneath the mail box to receive any large packages, andthis sack of course may be locked, if desired, the carrier having onekey and the patron having the other. This sack will protect the packagesagainst wind, rain, snow, and accidents caused by live stock. Thesignals now in use practically with almost all forms of rural freedelivery mail boxes are easily broken and are often out of repair. Itwill be seen that the signal above described is very firmly supported bythe cap 12 and is not dependent upon a small pivot bolt or rivet for itssupport. It is, furthermore, readily operated and when operated is notlikely to become accidentally changed in position.

It will be seen that the cap 12, because of its elongated form, willhave a relatively firm bearing upon the post 5 and that this cap 12 willbe raised or lowered with the Fi 1 of course shows the bracket in itsfulfv lowered position, but it is obvious that it may be raised withoutdisengaging the cap 12 from the post. It is also clear that theoperating mechanism for the cap will move with the bracket and that thecomplete device comprises the bracket and the signal cap with theoperating means therefor, and the mail bag hanger may be sold separatelyfrom the mail box and from the post.

lVhile I have illustrated a form of invention which I have found to beparticularly efiective in practice, I do not wish to be limited to thisas it is obvious that many changes might be made in the minor detailswithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

1. A mail box support and signal comprising a vertically disposedstandard, a rotatable cap mounted upon the standard and carrying asignal flag, an arm extending from the cap, a mail box supportingbracket, and a signal actuating member supported in guides upon saidbracket and having operative engagement with the arm of the signal cap.

2. A mail box support comprising a standard, a bracket mounted upon thestandard, a cap rotatably mounted upon the upper end of the standard andcarrying a signal flag, said cap having an outwardly projecting arm,guides formed upon the under face of the bracket, a longitudinallymovable operating rod carried in said guides, and a rod sectionpivotally connected to the arm and the operating rod.

8. As an article of manufacture, a mail box support and signalcomprising a bracket having a collar adapted to surround a standard andbe clamped thereto, a hollow cap ex tending upward from the butt end ofthe bracket and rotatable thereon and adapted to be disposed over thestandard, a signal member carried upon the cap, and an actuating devicemounted upon the under side of the bracket and operatively engaging thecap to rotate the latter, said operating device holding the cap inconjunction with the bracket.

1. A mail box support and signal comprising a vertically disposedstandard, a bracket vertically adjustable upon the standard, a caprotatably mounted upon the stand ard having a signal flag and aprojecting arm, and an operating device slidably' mounted upon the underside of the bracket operatively connected at its rear end to the arm onthe cap.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

FRED A. DECKER. Witnesses A. W. LAW, T. J. LAw.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

